


Jim Hopper Always Knows

by XxmerthurcatxX



Series: Bubblegum Bitch [2]
Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Fluff, Hopper knows waaaay too much, Hoppers POV, Light Angst, M/M, billy and steve are not subtle, boys being bad at hiding their feelings, four + 1
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-04
Updated: 2019-04-04
Packaged: 2020-01-04 21:47:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,042
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18352346
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/XxmerthurcatxX/pseuds/XxmerthurcatxX
Summary: Four times Hopper is pretty sure Billy and Steve are a thing, and one time he's DEFINITELY sure.aka: how Hopper figured out Steve and Billy were togetherThis was a prompt from tumblr :D





	Jim Hopper Always Knows

1.

 

The first time it was Billy instead of Steve who dropped El and Max off at his cabin, Hopper didn't think much of it. El had been out in the world for a while now and it wasn't a secret that she’s his adoptive daughter anymore so when Max threw him the excuse that “Steve was busy and Billy offered,” Hopper just shrugged and went back to trying to fix his police scanner. 

After the first time it becomes a regular thing. Like clockwork, every Friday Max came over after school, Billy dropped her off without a word to Hopper and then sped away from the cabin. Hopper was starting to wonder what was keeping Harrington so busy on Fridays The next time Billy dropped off the girls, he was already on the porch, hustling over to Billy’s car before the boy could peel out. 

“Tell me Hargrove, why are you doin this for Steve? Last time I checked, you two weren’t exactly bosom buddies.”

“Oh, you haven’t heard? Harrington and I are best friends now. We braid each other’s hair and everything,” Billy snarked. His smirk fell off his face when Hopper fixed him with a look that was way too similar to the one his father usually wore. “Harrington’s workin on college application shit. Stays after on Fridays to work with his English teacher. I’d have to drive anyway so-

“You offered to help? Doesn’t sound like you,” Hopper mused. 

“Yeah, well. What can I say? I’m a new man. Can I go now...sir,” Billy tacked on quickly, looking almost scared. Hopper didn’t like that look. It was one he knew all too well. One he’d seen on El’s face on more than one occasion. 

“If you’re gonna be dropping my kid off, I think you can call me Hopper. Everyone else does. Now, get outta here. Drive safe,” he said, tapping the top of Billy’s Camaro. The kid sped out of the driveway as soon as Hopper gave him the go ahead. Hopper watched until he couldn’t see the car anymore. Huh. Billy Hargrove doing favors for Steve Harrington. Something didn’t add up. 

 

2.

 

It wasn’t often that Hopper got called to the school, so when he did he was never quite sure what to expect. What he sure as hell wasn’t expecting was Steve Harrington sitting next to some freckle faced kid, both of them looking a little worse for wear. Steve had a bloody nose and the other kid had a nice looking shiner. 

“So...which of you chuckleheads is gonna tell me what happened?” Hopper asked. 

“I’ll tell you. Harrington’s a freak. I was just joking around and he-

“Joking around about what, freckles?” Hopper asked, eyes on Steve, who was staring resolutely at his shoes. 

“The hell does that matter? He fuckin hauled off and punched me for no good reason! He should be arrested, jesus.”

Hopper rolled his eyes. God he hated teenagers. 

“Okay, Freckles-

“It’s Tommy,” the kid grumbled. 

“Right. Tommy. You take a walk, cool your head. No one is getting arrested here. That’s a lot of paperwork to process and it’s not worth it.”

He thought for a minute that the kid,  _ Tommy _ , was gonna fight him on it, but he just huffed, taking off down the hall. Hopper waited until he was a safe distance away before he sat down next to Steve. 

“So...wanna tell me what really happened?” he asked. 

Steve fidgeted uncomfortably, running a hand through his hair. 

“He called me a faggot,” Steve said angrily. 

Hopper blinked. Well, he hadn’t seen that one coming. Last time he checked, kids threw that word around all the time. But it clearly struck a chord with Steve. 

“Billy too,” Steve added, voice quieter this time. Now that really got Hopper’s attention. 

“Billy Hargrove? Didn’t realize you guys were that close. I mean, I know he drives the girls to my place as a favor to you, but I didn’t realize you were close enough to punch a kid in the face for him. .”

“It wasn’t for him!” Steve said quickly. “I just... Tommy’s an ass and he needed to be taken down a peg or two,” he finished lamely. 

Hopper didn’t miss the blush staining Steve’s cheeks.  _ Not very convincing kid,  _ he thought. 

 

3.

 

Hopper had been getting really sick of seeing that blue fucking Camaro go racing by with absolutely zero respect for the speed limit. He was pretty sure Billy was a good driver since he had yet to get in an accident even when he was driving at breakneck speeds, but he’d still given the kid a talking to on more than one occasion that if he ever drove like that when El was in the backseat, he’d revoke his license. Billy seemed to think that was fair and Hopper had definitely noticed a change in his driving. So when he saw the Camaro go flying by the police station, faster than he’d seen Billy drive in at least a month, he immediately hopped in his truck and took off after it. 

The Camaro was swerving all over the damn road, not like Billy at all. Hopper turned on the siren, annoyed that it took Billy longer to pull over than it should have. He jumped out of the truck, leaning down to get a good look in Billy’s open window. 

“C’n help ya, officer,” Billy slurred. 

Hopper blinked in surprise. 

“Are you drunk?” he asked. 

Billy laughed, his head lolling back against the seat. 

“Buzzed, at best. G’na arrest me?” 

Hopper glared at him, wrenching the door of the Camaro open and making Billy jump, eyes going wide. His hands immediately flying up to protect his face a he shrunk away from Hopper. 

“M’sorry. W-won’t do it again. Don’t hit me.”

And just like that Hopper’s anger was gone. Didn’t take a genius to figure out why the kid was scared. He should be pissed. He should throw him in the drunk tank and make him sleep it off. But one look at the way Billy was cowering against his seat and he couldn’t feel anything but concern. 

“Easy, Billy. I’m not gonna hurt you, okay? I promise,” Hopper said, watching the kid’s shoulders relax a little. “Listen, I’m gonna let you off with a warning this time. If I ever catch you driving drunk again, your ass is grass. Got it?”

Billy nodded slowly, shame clear on his face. He looked tired. More tired than a seventeen year old kid should be. Hopper looked up at the sky. It was just starting to get dark. 

“Is...is there someone I can call? To come get you I mean?” Hopper asked gently. 

Billy blinked at him, his mind working a little slower than usual from whatever he’d been drinking. 

“Harrington,” Billy mumbled, almost like he was embarrassed. Hopper nodded and headed back to the truck, using the radio to get Steve on his walkie.

Steve arrived in record time, practically leaping out of his car and hurrying over to Billy, looking pissed. Hopper caught Steve’s arm before he could get too far. 

“Take it easy on him. He shouldn’t have driven drunk but he’s in a bad way. Just...take it easy,” Hopper said again, watching the anger fade from Steve’s face as he nodded and hurried over to Billy. 

Hopper tried not to be nosy, but he wanted to make sure Billy wasn’t gonna punch Steve in the face or anything. He didn’t think he would, but he didn’t have the best track record so, better safe than sorry. Instead of hitting Steve however, Billy half collapsed against him, his forehead falling against Steve’s shoulder. 

“M’sorry,” he mumbled. “So sorry. I’m-

Steve shook his head, placing one hand on Billy’s knee, the other cupping his cheek. 

“Shhh, we’ll talk about it later. Let’s just get you out of here. It’s okay, shhh, come on baby, please don’t cry.”

On that note, Hopper headed back in his truck, suddenly feeling like he was intruding. He was pretty sure “baby” wasn’t a term teenage boys generally called each other, but what did he know. According to El he was older than dinosaurs. Far from “down with the kids.” 

 

4.

 

Anyone who knew Hopper knew that, unless there was something weird going on like shit with the Upside Down, he was in bed by nine. He had to get up early to be at the station most mornings, so he tried to go to bed early, sue him. So he was needless to say, very disgruntled, when El shook him awake well past midnight. 

“Jesus. Okay, I’m up. I’m up! What’s wrong?” he asked, sitting up and wiping the sleep from his eyes. 

“Steve knocked and I let him in. He has a boy with him. In the living room. There’s blood,” El said, looking spooked. 

Well that sure as hell woke him up. Hopper threw a t shirt on so that he wasn’t just in a pair of sweats and hurried out to the living room, El close behind. Steve was kneeling on the floor in front of Billy, who was slumped back against the couch with an arm wrapped around his stomach. His face was bruised and bloody, like he just went ten rounds in a boxing ring. 

“Sorry!” Steve said immediately when he saw Hopper. “I-I didn’t know where else to go. He wouldn’t let me take him to the hospital and I-

“Easy, Steve. It’s okay. Let me grab the first aid kit and we’ll get your friend sorted, okay?” Hopper asked, not waiting for an answer before he hustled to the bathroom for the supplies. 

When he’d determined that Billy didn’t have a concussion and that he would be fine, just sore for a week or so, Hopper was more than ready for bed. Turns out Billy was a terrible patient and he hated being fussed over, so patching him up was a gigantic pain in the ass. By the time they’d finished everyone was tired and grumpy as hell. 

Steve was glued to Billy’s side, hands fluttering over the other boy nervously, like he was worried Billy might break. 

“Jesus, Harrington. I’m  _ fine _ ,” Billy huffed, swatting Steve’s hands away, his gaze flickering over to Hopper and his daughter. 

“Come on, El. Back to bed,” Hopper said, patting his daughter on the shoulder and trying to steer her back toward her room. 

El stayed in her spot on the arm of the couch for a moment longer, staring at the two boys arguing quietly. She turned to Hopper. 

“Love?” she asked, a little too loudly. 

Billy and Steve had matching bright red cheeks, pointedly not looking at each other. Hopper rolled his eyes, choosing not to answer that question in favor of going back to bed. 

 

5.

 

It all came to a head at the Byers place. Just like it always did. It was family dinner, which meant the whole party was there. Somehow Max had managed to talk the gang into letting Billy stay. It was a full house. 

Halfway through the evening, in desperate need of a cigarette, Hopper excused himself to step out onto the back porch. He paused at the back door, not even surprised at the sight he saw through the window. 

Billy was sitting on the porch railing, Steve standing between his legs and kissing the living daylights out of him. And yeah, Hopper had seen that coming at this point, but since there were children present he decided he needed to break it up. Admittedly he enjoyed how quickly the two jumped away from each other when he stepped out onto the porch. 

“Evening boys,” he said casually, lighting a cigarette. 

“Hop, uh, it’s not...um, we weren’t-

“Save it. I know what I saw. Don’t worry. I’ve known for a while. If you’re trying to keep it under wraps, you’re gonna need to work on being a little more subtle. Especially when there are children present,” he warned, but smiled to let them know he really didn’t care. 

Steve muttered a hasty, “got it” before he was steering a shell shocked Billy back into the house. 

Hopper shook his head. Friggin kids. 


End file.
